MILAN – As we await this afternoon's match at the Stadio Meazza, inter.it offers you a selection of stats courtesy of Football Data.
We start with Sebastian Rodrigo Palacio: should he feature today he will make his 100th appearance in Serie A. All 99 previous matches have come while wearing the colours of Genoa or Inter. Palacio made his top-flight debut in Italy on 23 August 2009 in Genoa 3-2 Roma.
Another Argentine, Diego Alberto Milito, will face his favourite target today if he plays: El Principe has found the net more times against Palermo in competitive games than against any other Italian team: 11 of his 131 strikes have been against the Rosanero.
The only success tasted by the Sicilian outfit against the Nerazzurri in Milan came in a Coppa Italia tie on 31 August 1980, Calloni and then De Stefanis sealing the win after Muraro had temporarily levelled. Palermo have never won a league meeting away to Inter: of the 25 Serie A encounters played in Milan, there have been 17 Nerazzurri wins and 8 draws. The last 6 games in San Siro have produced a feast of goals with both sides always scoring: Inter 18 and Palermo 14.Stramaccioni's side have picked up fewer bookings in the 2012/13 league campaign than any other Serie A team, just 26. Palermo are second in the yellow card table with 28.
The Nerazzurri have plundered 7 goals in the last quarter of an hour (76th to 90th minute including added time) in the current league campaign. Juventus have scored the same number while only AC Milan have got more (8). In that same 15-minute spell, Palermo have conceded 8 times; only Genoa have done worse, letting in 9.
Gian Piero Gasperini is taking on Inter for the first time since being relieved of his coaching duties at Massimo Moratti's club in September 2011. Gasperini's time in charge of the Nerazzurri was a brief one (from July to September 2011) involving just 5 competitive matches: 0 wins, 1 draw and 4 defeats.
Coaches Gian Piero Gasperini and Andrea Stramaccioni are pitting their wits against each other for the first time. Stramaccioni has never faced Palermo while Gasperini has met Inter on 8 previous occasions but is yet to win, his record standing at 3 draws and 5 defeats.
